Three Americans who Gov. Bill Richardson was working to free were among 15 hostages rescued today by the Colombian government from a leftist rebel group.
The operation by Colombian military spies led to the guerrillas giving up Americans Marc Gonsalves, Thomas Howes and Keith Stansell, former Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and 11 others without a single injury, the Associated Press reported.
After being asked by the families of the three American defense contractors to intervene, Richardson travelled to Colombia in March to meet with President Álvaro Uribe and to Venezuela in April to meet with that country’s president, Hugo Chávez. Chávez has influence with the rebels who held the hostages.
Richardson said recently that he saw “some positive movement” and was optimistic about the situation, according to a separate Associated Press article. He said he planned to return to Colombia “soon” for further negotiations.
In a statement released today, Richardson said he was “enormously pleased” at the news of the hostages’ release, and said the Americans’ families, “who fought for their release and raised awareness among the international community, deserve the most credit.”
“I worked hard for the release of these hostages, and I am glad that the rescue operation appears to have been conducted in a safe manner, resulting in a minimal loss of life, if any,” Richardson said. “Hopefully this rescue will prove to be an impetus toward a humanitarian accord to release the hundreds of remaining hostages being held by rebels and help reduce tension in the region.”
The Americans, employees of Northrop Grumman Corp., had been held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia since 2003 when their drug-surveillance plane crashed. They were the longest-held American hostages in the world, according to the Associated Press.
Richardson, a global troubleshooter and former U.N. ambassador, has negotiated the release of American hostages in North Korea, Iraq and Sudan. Many believe he is maintaining a high profile after dropping out of the presidential race because he is gunning for a top position in a potential Barack Obama administration — possibly secretary of state.
Three Americans who Gov. Bill Richardson was working to free were among 15 hostages rescued today by the Colombian government from a leftist rebel group.